In this series we’ll take a fresh look at resources and how they are used. We’ll go beyond natural resources like air and water to look at how efficiency in raw materials can boost the bottom line and help the environment. We’ll also examine the circular economy and design for reuse — with an eye toward honoring those resources we do have.

While changes at home can’t solve the many environmental crises we face today, they can sure help. Through this series, we’ll explore how initiatives like curbside compost pick-up, rebates on compost bins, and efficient appliances can help families reduce their impact without breaking the bank.

Despite decades -- centuries even -- of global efforts, slavery can still be found not just on the high seas, but around the world and throughout various supply chains. Through this series on forced labor, sponsored by C&A Foundation, we’ll explore many different types of bonded and forced labor and highlight industries where this practice is alive and well today.

In this series we examine how companies should respond to national controversy like police violence and the BLM movement to best support employees and how can companies work to improve equality by increasing diversity in their ranks directly.

Compost is often considered a panacea for the United States’ tremendous food waste problem. Indeed, composting is a much better option than putting spoiled food in a garbage can destined for a landfill.

The recent release of the 2008 College Sustainability Report Card, produced by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, shows that two-thirds of all institutions improved their sustainability endeavors this past year. The areas in which they improved the most were in: the appointment of “green” administration, the use of renewable energy, green buildings, food and recycling, and transportation. Walking on many college campuses today, you will now find Fair Trade coffee, organic food, hybrid campus cars, sustainability departments, and energy-efficient buildings. Of course, there are major differences between “College Sustainability Leaders,” who earned grades of an A-, and those who lag farther behind. In general, however, the report states that the recent developments on college campuses points to what amounts to a “green groundswell.” Although some university administrators have been pro-active in this “groundswell,” I think that today’s students deserve most of the credit for the current green college movement. Having worked on a campus sustainability campaign at Columbia University this past year, I can personally say that the new wave of young environmentalists have mobilized in unique ways to get their administrators to think beyond placing recycling cans in the dorms.

In our “Wind Power Now” campaign, for example, we consulted with wind power providers, met with campus maintenance management to secure energy audit info, and compiled research from engineering professors to provide top administrators with detailed proposals for securing green energy for our campus. We also devised an online petition and sold “Blow Me” windmill T-Shirts to galvanize student support. Rather than stage protests or “demand” sustainability, we work within the system to help decision-makers along in this process. We are educators and consultants, as well as students, working to transform our outdated infrastructure. Movements like ours can be found on almost every major campus in the country right now. Unfortunately, none of this is captured in the 2008 College Sustainability Report Card. The report is based on information gathered from administrators themselves, many of whom inflate the progress of sustainability initiatives or take credit for endeavors that were initiated and executed by students. Despite this flaw in the reporting process itself, I do applaud the work of the Sustainable Endowments Institute for producing this report. It is interesting that the area most in need of improvement is in sustainable endowment investing. Higher education represents $315 billion in our economy, most of which is held in non-sustainable endowments. If we are to see changes in green investing of education dollars, this change will most definitely be led by innovative and informed student initiatives. Maybe they might even get credit this time…

Shannon Arvizu, Ph.D., is a clean tech educator and cutting-edge consultant for the auto industry. You can follow her test drives in the cars of the future at www.misselectric.com.

One response

That t-shirt is hysterical! Where can I get one?? I facilitate a blog/forum which features essays from students on the front lines of making college dining more sustainable. The essay published today was written by a girl from Franklin and Marshall and addresses recycling and sustainable initiatives on college campuses. Others have addressed bringing organic, local, and/or fair trade options to dining halls. Check it out at organiconthegreen.wordpress.com.